The
Quran emphatically testifies that one of its main functions is to
confirm/bear witness to the textual reliability and authority of the
very Scriptures that the Jews and Christians had with them during
Muhammad’s time:
O
Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I
bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me as I fulfil My
Covenant with you, and fear none but Me. And believe in what I
reveal, confirming
the revelation which is WITH YOU,
and be not the first to reject Faith therein, nor sell My Signs for a
small price; and fear Me, and Me alone. And cover not Truth with
falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is). And be
steadfast in prayer; practise regular charity; and bow down your
heads with those who bow down (in worship). Do ye enjoin right
conduct on the people, and forget (To practise it) yourselves, and
yet ye study the Scripture? Will ye not understand? S. 2:40-44 A.
Yusuf Ali
And
when there comes to them a Book from God, confirming
what is WITH THEM,
– although from of old they had prayed for victory against those
without Faith, – when there comes to them that which they (should)
have recognised, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of God is
on those without Faith. S. 2:89 Y. Ali
When
it is said to them, “Believe in what God Hath sent down,” they
say, “We believe in what was sent down to us:” yet they reject
all besides, even if it be Truth confirming
what is WITH THEM.
Say: “Why then have ye slain the prophets of God in times gone by,
if ye did indeed believe?” S. 2:91 Y. Ali
And
when there came to them an apostle from God, confirming
what was WITH THEM,
a party of the people of the Book threw away the Book of God behind
their backs, as if (it had been something) they did not know! S.
2:101 Y. Ali
O
ye People of the Book! believe in what We have (now)
revealed, confirming
what was (already) WITH YOU,
before We change the face and fame of some (of you) beyond all
recognition, and turn them hindwards, or curse them as We cursed the
Sabbath-breakers, for the decision of God Must be carried out. S.
4:47 Y. Ali
No
one could have composed this Quran besides God. This
confirms THE
EXISTING BOOK (the Bible) and
explains itself. There is no doubt that it is from the Lord of the
Universe. S. 10:37 Muhammad
Sarwar https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/10/st23.htm
Here
is another rendering of the foregoing passage:
“… rather
(it is) a verification and
confirmation to what IS
IN ITS TWO HANDS (walakin tasdeeqa allathee bayna yadayhi) and
details to Al-Kitab [the
word ‘Qur’an’ means some thing which is read by emitting words.
When Allah’s Book is subjected to Qir’at, it
confirms what is available in the written copies of the scripture
already available anywhere in the world,
and it also contains details to all the verdicts available in the
Book]…” Dr. Kamal
Omar https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/10/st48.htm
And:
Definitely,
in their incidents is a lesson for men of understanding.
(This Al-Kitâb)
is not (a collection of) forged and concocted Hadees. Rather
it is a confirmation to what IS
IN ITS BOTH HANDS (i.e.,
already there [walakin tasdeeqa allathee bayna yadayhi]) and
details to all things and Hudah and Rahmah for
the nation who Believe. S.
12:111 Dr. Kamal Omar https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/12/st48.htm
Note
the following translation of the above verse:
“… It
(the Qur’an) is not a forged statement but a
confirmation of the Allah’s EXISTING
BOOKS [the Taurat (Torah),
the Injeel (Gospel)
and other Scriptures of Allah]…” Hilali-Khan
And
here is how a commentary attributed to Muhammad’s first cousin
explains this particular reference:
(In
their history) in their events, the event of Joseph and his brothers
(verily there is a lesson) a sign (for men of understanding) for
people endowed with intelligence. (It is no invented story) the
Qur’an is not an invented story (but a confirmation of the existing
(Scripture)) a
confirmation of the Torah, the Gospel and all the others scriptures;
it confirms the profession of monotheism and other legal rulings as
well as the story of Joseph (and a detailed explanation of
everything) a detailed explanation of the lawful and the unlawful,
(and a guidance) from error (and a mercy) preventing from
chastisement (for folk who believe) in Muhammad and in the Qur’an
which was revealed to you from your Lord, and Allah knows the secrets
of His Book’. (Tanwîr
al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn
‘Abbâs https://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=12&tAyahNo=111&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2;
bold and underline emphasis ours)
Thus,
according to these texts the original, uncorrupt Torah and Gospel
existed at the time of Muhammad. More on this point later.
The
Islamic scripture further exhorts Muhammad and his followers to
believe in and bear witness to all the Books in the hands of the Jews
and Christians:
The
Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and
the believers; each one believes in God and His angels, and
in His Books (wa-kutubihi) and
His Messengers; we make no division between any one of His
Messengers. They say, ‘We hear, and obey. Our Lord, grant us Thy
forgiveness; unto Thee is the homecoming.’ S. 2:285 Arberry
And
dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better
(than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict
wrong (and injury): but say, “We believe in the revelation which
has come down to us and
in that which came down to you;
Our God and your God is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).”
S. 29:46 Y. Ali
He
has ordained for you such religion as He enjoined on Noah, which We
have now revealed to you; which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus: ‘Observe the Religion and do not divide.’ Hard for the
pagans is that to which you call them. God chooses for it whom He
will, and guides to it those that repent. Yet they did not divide
themselves, through their own wickedness, until knowledge was given
them. And but for a word that had already gone forth from your Lord
reprieving them for an appointed term, judgement would have surely
been passed among them. And those
who inherited the Scriptures after
them have their grave doubts too. Therefore preach and keep to the
straight path as you are commanded. Do not be led by their
desires, but
say: ‘I believe in all the Scriptures that God has revealed.
I am commanded to exercise justice among you. God is our Lord and
your Lord. We have our works and you have your works; let there be no
argument between us. God will bring us all together, and to Him shall
be the final return.’ S. 42:13-15 N. J.
Dawood https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/42/st50.htm
This
brings me to my next point. Both the Quran and ahadith testify that
the true, uncorrupt Torah and Gospel were with the Jews and
Christians:
Lo!
Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth
because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of
Allah and shall slay and be slain. It is a promise which is binding
on Him IN
the Torah AND THE GOSPEL and the Qur’an.
Who fulfilleth His covenant better than Allah? Rejoice then in your
bargain that ye have made, for that is the supreme triumph. S. 9:111
Pickthall
“… A
promise binding upon Him in truth; It
IS IN the Torah [of Musa (Moses)], THE GOSPEL [of Isa (Jesus)],
and the Quran (revealed to the Prophet Muhammad)…” Syed Vickar
Ahamed https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/9/st28.htm
“… and
their likeness IN
the Gospel:
as a seed that puts forth its shoot, and strengthens it, and it grows
stout and rises straight upon its stalk, pleasing the sowers, that
through them He may enrage the unbelievers. God has promised those of
them who believe and do deeds of righteousness forgiveness and a
mighty wage.” S. 48:29 Arberry
“those
who follow the Messenger, ‘the Prophet of the common folk, whom
they find written down WITH
THEM in
the Torah and the Gospel…’”
S. 7:157 Arberry
Here
is a different version of the above verse:
“Those
who follow the Rasul,
the Ummi (unlettered) Nabi (whose
natural disposition has not been corrupted and original purity is
preserved) who has been stated in
the Torah and the Gospel IN
THEIR HANDS…”
Ahmed Hulusi https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/7/st63.htm
Now
pay attention to the following narrations:
36
Tribulations
(26)
Chapter: The disappearance of the Quran and Knowledge
It
was narrated that Ziyad bin Labid said:
“The
Prophet mentioned something and said: ‘That will be at the time
when knowledge (of Qur’an) disappears.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of
Allah, how will knowledge disappear when we read the Qur’an and
teach it to our children, until the Day of Resurrection?’ He said:
‘May your mother be bereft of you, Ziyad! I thought that you were
the wisest man in Al- Madinah. Is
it not the case that these Jews and Christians READ THE TAWRAH AND
THE INJIL,
but they do not act upon anything of what is in them?’”
Grade:
Da’if (Darussalam)
Reference:
Sunan Ibn Majah 4048
In-book
reference: Book 36, Hadith 123
English
translation: Vol. 5, Book 36, Hadith 4048
(sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah/36/123;
capital and underline emphasis ours)
41
Chapters on Knowledge
(5)
Chapter: What Has Been Related About Knowledge Leaving
Narrated
Jubair bin Nufair:
from
Abu Ad-Darda who said: “We were with the Prophet when he raised his
sight to the sky, then he said: ‘This is the time when knowledge is
to be taken from the people, until what remains of it shall not
amount to anything.” So Ziyad bin Labid Al-Ansari said: ‘How will
it be taken from us while we recite the Qur’an. By Allah we recite
it, and our women and children recite it?’ He said: ‘May you be
bereaved of your mother O Ziyad! I used to consider you among the
Fuqaha of the people of Al-Madinah. The
Tawrah and Injil ARE WITH THE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS, but what do they
avail of them?‘”
Jubair said: “So I met ‘Ubadah bin As-Samit and said to him:
‘Have you not heard what your brother Abu Ad-Darda said?’ Then I
informed him of what Abu Ad-Darda said. He said: ‘Abu Ad-Darda
spoke the truth. If you wish, we shall narrated to you about the
first knowledge to be removed from the people: It is Khushu’, soon
you will enter the congregational Masjid, but not see any man in it
with Khushu’.'”
Grade:
SAHIH (Darussalam)
Reference:
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2653
In
Book Reference: Book 41, Hadith 9
English
translation: Vol. 5, Book 39, Hadith 2653
(sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/41/9;
capital and underline emphasis ours)
With
the foregoing in view, here is our challenge to all of the Muhammadan
polemicists.
Please
tell us what the Torah and Gospel that the Jews and Christians had
and read from in Muhammad’s day. In fact, I want you to identify
the Torah that Muhammad held, praised and even appealed to in order
judge the Jews of his day, as the following commentary affirms:
… Malik
reported that Nafi` said that `Abdullah bin `Umar said, “The Jews
came to Allah’s Messenger and mentioned that a man and a woman from
them committed adultery. Allah’s Messenger said to them…
<<What
do find of the ruling about stoning in the Tawrah>> They
said, `We only find that they should be exposed and flogged.’
`Abdullah bin Salam said, `You lie. The Tawrah mentions stoning, so
bring the Tawrah.’ They brought the Tawrah and opened it but one of
them hid the verse about stoning with his hand and recited what is
before and after that verse.
`Abdullah bin Salam said to him, `Remove your hand,’ and he removed
it, thus
uncovering the verse about stoning.
So they said, ‘He (`Abdullah bin Salam) has said the truth, ‘O
Muhammad! It is the verse about stoning.’ The Messenger of Allah
decided that the adulterers be stoned to death and his command was
carried out. I saw that man shading the woman from the stones with
his body.”… Abu Dawud recorded that Ibn `Umar said, “Some Jews
came to the Messenger of Allah and invited him to go to the Quff
area. So he went to the house of Al-Midras and they said, ‘O Abu
Al-Qasim! A man from us committed adultery with a woman, so decide on
their matter.’ They arranged a pillow for the Messenger of Allah
and he sat on it and said…
<<Bring
the Tawrah to me.>> He
was brought the Tawrah and
he removed the pillow from under him and placed the Tawrah on it,
saying…
<<I
TRUST YOU and He Who revealed it to you.>>…
(Tafsir
Ibn Kathir,
Q.
5:41 http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=776&Itemid=60;
bold, capital and underline emphasis ours)
Now
how could the Quran speak of what the Torah and Gospel contained if
these Books did not exist at Muhammad’s time? And why did Muhammad
praise a copy of the Torah and bear witness to his belief in its
divine origin if the true, uncorrupt Torah no longer existed in pure,
pristine form?
The
answer is obvious. The Torah and Gospel that existed during
Muhammad’s life are the very Books which the Jews and Christians
read till this very day, since these are the only Scriptures that
these respective communities have always possessed.
There
is, therefore, no doubt on textual, historical grounds, that the
Quran is confirming the Books of the Old and New Testaments as the
uncorrupt revelations of God. This in turn means that the Quran is
bearing witness to the Canonical Gospels, which the Christians have
always possessed, as being the inscripturation of THE
Gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, a fact which the following verse confirms:
“… and
their likeness IN
the Gospel:
as a seed that puts forth its shoot, and strengthens it, and it grows
stout and rises straight upon its stalk, pleasing the sowers, that
through them He may enrage the unbelievers. God has promised those of
them who believe and do deeds of righteousness forgiveness and a
mighty wage.” S. 48:29 Arberry
Now
contrast this with what Mark wrote:
“He
said, ‘The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the
ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and
grows; he does not know how. For the earth bears fruit by itself:
first the blade, then the head, then the full seed in the head. But
when the grain is ripe, immediately he applies the sickle because the
harvest has come.’” Mark 4:26-29
That
the Islamic scripture is quoting from Mark is a fact that Muslim
scholars readily admit:
The
similitude in the Gospel is about how the good seed is sown and grown
gradually, even beyond the expectation of the sower: “the
seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how; for the earth
bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after
that the full corn in the earth”; MARK,
iv 27-28…
(Yusuf Ali, The
Holy Qur’an: Meaning and Translation,
p. 1400, n. 4917; bold and capital emphasis mine)
This
parable is found in a sermon of the Prophet Jesus that has been
reported in the New Testament, thus:
“And
he said, So is the kingdom of God as if a man should east [sic]
seed into the ground: And should sleep, and rise night and day, and
the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth
bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after
that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth,
immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is
come [This
is taken from Mark 4:26-29]. And he said, Whereunto shall we liken
the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It
is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth,
is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown,
it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out
great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the
shadow of it [This comes from Mark 4:30-32].”
The
last portion of this sermon is also found in Matthew, 13:31-32. (S.
Abul A’la Maududi, Meaning
of the Qur’an,
Volume V, English rendering by A.A. Kamal, M.A. [Islamic Publications
(Pvt.) Limited, 13-E, Shahalam Market, Lahore-8 Pakistan], p. 67, fn.
56; underlined emphasis and comments within brackets ours)
Moreover,
the earliest extant writing on the life of Muhammad cites John’s
Gospel as the written account of the very Gospel which God gave Jesus
to pass on to his followers:
“Among
the things which have reached me about what Jesus
the Son of Mary stated in the Gospel which he received from God for
the followers of the Gospel,
in applying a term to describe the apostle of God, is the
following. It
is extracted FROM WHAT JOHN THE APOSTLE SET DOWN FOR THEM WHEN HE
WROTE THE GOSPEL FOR THEM FROM THE TESTAMENT OF JESUS SON OF MARY:
‘He that hateth me hateth the Lord. And if I had not done in their
presence works which none other before me did, they had not sin: but
from now they are puffed up with pride and think that they will
overcome me and also the Lord. But the word that is in the law must
be fulfilled, “They hated me without a cause” (i.e. without
reason). But when the Comforter has come whom God will send to you
from the Lord’s presence, and the spirit of truth which will have
gone forth from the Lord’s presence he (shall bear) witness of me
and ye also, because ye have been with me from the beginning. I have
spoken unto you about this that ye should not be in doubt.’
“The Munahhemana (God
bless and preserve him!) in Syriac is Muhammad; in Greek he is the
paraclete. (The
Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah,
with introduction and notes by Alfred Guillaume [Oxford University
Press, Karachi, Tenth impression 1995], pp. 103-104; bold and capital
emphasis ours)
Ibn
Ishaq quotes John 15:23-16:1 and unhesitatingly identifies this as
the Gospel of Christ which John recorded for Jesus’ followers!
Notice that Ibn Ishaq never hints at this particular Gospel being
corrupted or unreliable, which is rather ironic since this happens to
be the same Gospel that Muslim polemicists are constantly attacking,
even shamefully citing liberal critics to cast doubt on its
historical veracity.
Hence,
Islam’s most authoritative sources confirm beyond any reasonable
doubt that the Gospel of Jesus is that which has been preserved in
the fourfold Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, since
these are the only writings that the Christians of Muhammad’s day
read and classified as the Gospel.
In
light of the above, we have a further challenge for these Muslim
polemicists.
Our
challenge is quite simple. We want them to kindly educate us whether
variant readings such as Mark’s longer ending, or John’s pericope
of the woman caught in adultery (cf. John 7:53-8:11), are genuine by
examining the manuscript tradition to see if such readings were part
of the Gospels that the Christians were reading at Muhammad’s time.
After
all, since Muhammad claimed that the Gospels that the Christians of
his day possessed are the uncorrupt revelations of God, he basically
confirmed whatever those copies of the Gospels contained. And if
those copies included these variants, then this means that the
Islamic scripture testifies that such readings are genuine
revelations which God inspired to be part of the very Gospel that
Muhammad affirmed was in the hands of the Christians of his day.
If
you disagree that your own prophet believed in the authority and
textual veracity of the Books of the Old and New Testaments, then you
must provide some kind of textual, historical, archaeological proof
that the Torah and the Gospel that the Jews and Christians read, and
which Muhammad confirmed, are not the same as what these same
communities possess till this very day, which are none other than the
sacred writings that make up the Holy Bible.
I
eagerly await your HONEST answers.
Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/18/an-open-challenge-to-muslims-concerning-the-bible/
IHS
